Day: August 14, 2020
#Excerpt “The Match Disaster” by Latesha Kellam
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We met on Match.com about a month after a short friendship with someone I met on ChristianMingle.com. Although, that situation didn’t end well, I thought I would give online dating one more try and boy was I glad I did. I met you. I was on Match.com one day and I noticed that you looked at my profile. I decided to say hi to you through the Match.com app. I was pretty shy about reaching out to guys that I didn’t know, but what did I have to lose? The only thing that could happen was that you didn’t say hi back. To my surprise you sent me a reply and it wasn’t just hi. We began to talk and things got interesting pretty quickly.
Initially, I didn’t know how things would end up because you were very blunt and to the point and I really wasn’t used to that. I would ask you how your day was and you would respond, “It sucked.” I thought to myself, this guy has a bleak outlook on life, but then one day when we were chatting online about your job, you made me laugh. I said to myself, maybe he’s not so bad after all. You actually had a sense of humor.
We talked frequently via the Match.com app for about 3 weeks. We talked about how many children we had and their ages. Between the two of us, we had 4 boys. You also told me that you had a daughter, that you raised, but she wasn’t biologically yours. I really found that honorable. You told me that your children lived with you, but it wasn’t because their mother passed away. This also impressed me. It definitely wasn’t as common for the man to have full custody of his children. You asked me about my ex-husband and if he was involved in my children’s life. At the time he wasn’t and you were very upset by that. You just couldn’t understand why he wasn’t an active participant in the children’s life. I had some of the same thoughts, so this was a sensitive subject for me.
One day we were chatting on the Match.com app and you told me that you had many more stories to tell me about work and the horrors of online dating, but they would be easier to tell me over the phone. I figured that was your way of hinting that you wanted my phone number, so I finally gave it to you. I remember the first time you texted me, I responded and then asked who I was talking to. You responded, “It’s Thomas. Didn’t your mama teach you not to talk to strangers.” That made me laugh. I liked that you made me laugh. We progressed from texting to talking on the phone, but it took about a week. During our first call, you explained why you took so long to call me. You told me that you had been sick and you didn’t want me to hear your voice like that. Our very first conversation lasted for over 2 hours.
You told me so many stories about the horrific experiences you had with online dating. They were so funny but disturbing at the same time. It was a good thing I met you before hearing those type of stories because your stories made me question the process of online dating. I asked you why you opted for online dating. You were a very handsome and intelligent guy. You had a successful career as an Engineer at a great company. You could probably get any girl you wanted. You told me it was because you didn’t hang out at the typical places that would allow you to meet someone and there was definitely nobody at your job who you be interested in dating.
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#BookTour “Blood Feud” by J.W. Webb
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the Imperial Shen, he’s never forgotten his vow to avenge his family and take back what is rightfully his.
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EXCERPT
A huge figure knelt by a roaring blaze. A shaggy haired man he appeared, with corded muscle and barrel-chest. He wore a kilt, but no cloak to cover his naked torso. Like Jaran, the stranger bore many scars on that flesh. And on closer inspection, he saw the man had only one arm. A distant memory flickered through him. And a name.
Tyho.
The one-armed warrior. A god of the north. Jaran knew the god was testing him. Despite his fear he stepped out, approached the crouched figure, who looked up casually as he walked close.
“Your friends worry that you’ve left them, Jaran Saerk.” The voice was a gravel-scrape and thunder boom, those eyes glints of blazing sliver fire, the moonlight trapped inside.
“I needed time alone.” Jaran shoulder-tossed the elk in front of the god as a gift. He heard it boded ill, meeting Tyho the War God alone in the wild. “Time to think.”
“A gift for a gift.” Tyho rose to his feet, standing massive before Jaran. He reached behind his back and produced a huge long-hafted axe. “Your enemies are closing. You will need Griner to kill them.”
Jaran felt uneasy. Why would Tyho want to help him? And what would he ask for in return? Despite his misgivings, he gripped the weapon and thanked the god. Tyho pinned him with that terrible gaze. “Use it well. Griner belonged to Borian once, before that deity perished in the timeless wars. It serves you now—in the new struggle.”
“You mean against the witch, Sheega?” Jaran hefted the axe. It was heavy, the intricate rune markings glinted on its beard. He sensed power in the weapon. Felt strength flowing into his arms. Strength and something else. A slow burning rage. “I will avenge my father,” he told the god.
“You had best go back,” Tyho said, his silver eyes blazing. “Your little camp is under attack.”
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fantasy, though sometimes diverts in even stranger directions. His epic saga, The Legends of Ansu, blends the mystic grandeur of J.R.R. Tolkien with the gritty realism of George R.R. Martin.
Webb’s characters are three dimensional and flawed, their world a tapestry of vivid color and constant motion. All the books feature beautiful sketches by the late Tolkien illustrator, Roger Garland. When he’s not writing, he spends his time in the garden or attending to the demands of his cat-overlords and dog companions.
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#Featured “Feud (Neighbors to Lovers Book 1)” by Phyllis Bourne
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An inherited house that comes complete with a tall, dark and sexy neighbor – it’s a romance no-brainer, right?
Until Alexandra Bridges learns of the hundred-year old family feud that makes the hunk next door her sworn enemy for life.
The man has a body that makes Alex want to make love, not war. But there is an additional quarter million-dollar inheritance at stake. She’ll have to run him out of the neighborhood to become the legendary feud’s sole survivor – if he doesn’t run her out first.
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#Featured “Silent Witness (Cass Leary Legal Thriller Series Book 2)” by Robin James
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A wealthy couple is brutally murdered in their kitchen. The only witness, their six-year-old daughter goes missing. The child’s birth mother is charged with the crime.
Small town lawyer, Cass Leary takes the case that could rip her family apart. Her sister Vangie stands accused in the double homicide of an affluent, Ann Arbor couple. All the physical evidence points to Vangie’s guilt and Cass knows she’s been keeping secrets. But, is she truly capable of murder?
As Cass digs deeper, dark suspicion grows against her own sister. It’s a race against time as the clues pile up against Vangie and the chances of finding her little girl alive dwindle. To find the truth and unmask a killer, Cass will have to risk her reputation and her life.
Silent Witness is the second book in series of high-stakes legal thrillers. If you like blood-pumping action, compelling characters, and twisted crime conspiracies, then you’ll love Robin James’s page-turning tale.
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